Spring in Wisconsin :)

Just a couple weeks ago I was heading to Wisconsin for a whirl-wind week of fun!  It was my first trip back since Christmas and there was so much planned.  I was looking forward to spending time with my family and just being home :)

My cousins were actually on the same flight from LA to Milwaukee so when we landed in WI we all went out to Dinner together.  On Thursday night I Bartended at Rosie's Valley Inn and my entire family came in and visited me.  It was a blast to be behind the bar in Wisconsin and reminded of how affordable it is to drink back home.  I poured a round of drinks (all cocktails) for $11; it would have cost $40 in Los Angeles!  It's kind of mind-blowing.  My little cousins loved helping me out behind the bar, doing dishes, pouring sodas, and even mentioned coming to help the following day because doing dishes in the bar is far more fun than doing them at home!

Monica & I with Nicki, Russell Wilson speaking for the Graduation, and Dad & I at Camp Randall!

On Saturday, Dad and I drove to Madison for Nicki's Graduation from UW-Madison.  Russell Wilson (QB from the Seattle Seahawks who went to Madison for a year) was the Commencement Speaker and did a really great job.  I was actually impressed with his speaking abilities; he was relateable, funny, but also very motivating.  Aside from the hail (it was so cold it was hailing...in May) and walking seven miles to get to the right area, it was neat to be at Nicki's Graduation and we were so glad we went!  It was also Tyler's Birthday so we celebrated later that evening at St. Anne because no trip back home is complete without a steak from my favorite place in WI!

Bridal Shower Cupcakes!

Sunday was Tyler & Monica's Bridal Shower with family so we had a nice party at my Aunt Mary's house, had a beautiful lunch, opened gifts, played some games and answered questions about Tyler & Monica.  When everyone had left and we had cleaned up, the kids and I played cards!

Algoma Pierhead Lighthouse

I was looking forward to our Wine Tasting Adventure in Door County for months so we all went to the Von Steihl Winery on Monday afternoon.  After tasting some delicious wines (for free) and buying a few bottles as well, I had seen that there was a Cheese Tasting a few miles away.  We headed there next and tasted some fabulous cheese, once again, bought a bunch because they had Squeaky Cheese Curds.  They vacuum-sealed mine since they were traveling back to California with me and I wanted to make sure that they would still be squeaky when I got them home to LA.  We had Lunch on Lake Michigan and then Dad and I went to the Algoma Pierhead Lighthouse.  We had to walk on this narrow walk-way to get closer to the lighthouse and the water was actually splashing up and over it because the waves and current were fairly strong.  It was a little scary at times and I was really surprised that my Dad led the way but when we got to the lighthouse, he was just as excited about seeing it as I was.  I was so glad we did that together!  On our way back to Plymouth, we stopped at one more Winery with the entire family called Parallel 44 and Dad and I both agreed on the same bottle to buy there.  They had a Summer Concert series that sounded like so much fun, and reminded me of Malibu Wines.  I hadn't eaten at A&W in years since they're only open when it's warmer outside so I was really excited to get my traditional hot dog from there and cheese curds once we got back to P-town.  This time I changed it up and got a burger too and let me say, In & Out, oooooh you have some competition!  It was so yummy!

My Dad's Birthday was on Wednesday, the day I was heading back to LA, so late Tuesday night I prepped for his Birthday surprise.  I had a giant piece of Chocolate Cake I had picked up, some Sparkling Wine from one of the Wineries, a few gifts, and then we played cards and just hung out on my last night in Wisconsin. A low-key 61st Birthday surprise!

The week I was home went by so quickly and my Dad called me the next day to thank me for such a nice time and to tell me he loved me.  That's always nice to hear and as difficult as things are for me without my Mom, I can't imagine Dad being in the house without her.  He's so strong and I'm so proud of him!  We really did have a good time although I wish I could have made a meal one night (I sound like my Mom), but we played lots of Trivia Crack, debated some politics, learned some things, and had some really nice conversations.  I'll be heading back in a week and a half for a few days and can hardly wait!

Spring in Wisconsin Pictures

More pictures from my week-long trip to Wisconsin in May!

The flowers were found in the backyard of our house, along with that gorgeous tree.  Von Steihl has such delicious wines, you can go the traditional route with a Chardonnay or Pinot Noir or you can try some of their fruit wines with Blueberry or Raspberry or sweet sparkling wines.  They even have barrel-aged Ports!  The cheese-tasting was like a dream and I'm just going to leave it at that :)  Dad and I loved checking out the lighthouse in Algoma that's right on Lake Michigan, it was a scary walk to it, but so worth it!

Flowers & Trees in Plymouth

Wine & Cheese Tasting in Door County

Holding up Algoma's Pierhead Lighthouse with Dad!

Lisa Berry at Afterbuzz TV (plus Nina Lopez-Corrado)

Lisa is such a huge 'Supernatural' fan so we're always so excited to have her in the studio with us to discuss everything about the show during our Aftershow at Afterbuzz TV.  She came to the studio at the end of March with Nina Lopez-Corrado whom had directed the episode we were discussing that day and then Lisa joined me again at the beginning of May for another exciting episode!

We've never had a director of 'Supernatural' join us on the panel so it was really great to get that perspective on the show.  We got so many questions answered and I think we all hope that Nina comes back to direct more episodes since it brought such a range of emotions out of all the actors that week.  It was definitely one of the most heart-wrenching episodes to watch.  And Lisa gets as excited as all of us do when talking about the show.  When we talked in May we could have had another couple hours of our Aftershow since there was so much to talk about and God had finally been revealed.  As some of the fans on Twitter posted, it was a #gamechanger.

Katie & I with Lisa Berry & Nina Lopez-Corrado when we discussed  'Supernatural' episode "Red Meat."

With Season 11 coming to a close on Wednesday, I can't imagine how wild the episode is going to get!  We've got Lucifer and Castiel as one and we're not sure if anyone died or was expelled last episode, Rowena is back, Crowley has joined Sam & Dean to go up against The Darkness and God has been injured and we're not sure what his plans are for Amara.  These were part of Lisa and I's predictions for the season finale when we talked earlier this month so we'll have to see if they come to fruition or not!  Lisa is always the epitome of light and energy, she's a joy to chat with, especially about 'Supernatural.'  She's real and honest and we get the insider when we talk about the show.

Lisa and I after our 'Supernatural' Aftershow at Afterbuzz TV

Katie and I will be joining Lisa and Alaina on Wednesday night to Live Tweet about the episode and I know we're both really looking forward to it!  Then we'll have both of these lovely ladies join us at Afterbuzz TV on Thursday to discuss the finale and what's to come for Season 12 which will premiere in the Fall.  You can always join us in the Live Chat at 12:30 pm on YouTube by searching Afterbuzz TV (upcoming shows) and you may even get a shout-out!  And all of our Aftershows are up on YouTube through Afterbuzz TV as well (Supernatural on Afterbuzz TV Playlist).  Thanks to our loyal 'Supernatural' fans and I hope we get some answers on Wednesday night :)

Fern's Book Release!

One of my co-hosts from our 'Real Housewives of New York' Aftershow at Afterbuzz TV had her book release party a couple weeks ago!  We've all been long anticipating the release and I'm looking forward to reading her book, "Better in the Morning."

Fern's Book Release Party at Afterbuzz!

Megan, Ashley, Fern and I had to celebrate and take our first group photo during our Aftershow on Wednesday with cake pops and some Skinny Girl cocktails.  Of course we had to support Bethenny from the Housewives.  The party was on a Saturday night and my day had actually started out pretty awesome because I had an Audition in Hollywood at noon and while waiting to go in, the Casting Director from another project approached me and asked if I would come and audition for the short film they were casting.  I had heard of this happening but it had never happened to me before, so it was a nice confidence booster!  I did end up finding the project on-line and saw it was Non-Union so I wouldn't have been able to do it anyway, but hopefully I'll have some more good luck down the line for another project or role!  It was a busy day and I was able to squeeze in going to Fern's party before heading to work that night.  The party had catered food, beautiful desserts, and lots of people celebrating Fern and her book.

Fern is one of the most generous and kind people I have ever met and her positivity is absolutely contagious.  We've been doing the Housewives Aftershow together for the past two years so we've gotten to know each other pretty well.  You can check out some more stories on her blog here: http://www.blogher.com/myprofile/fern-ronay Or find more info on her website here: http://www.fernronay.com/

Celebrating Fern's Book Release at Afterbuzz TV during our 'Real Housewives of New York' Aftershow

"Better in the Morning" has been released on Amazon and Kindle so you can get the digital version or a hard-copy now!  And make sure to leave a review when you do read it :) Fern, you rock!

Vintage Mom (Part 3)

Vintage Mom was back at Easter when I had an early morning Church Service (thanks to Adam for joining me and taking these photos).  I knew exactly what I wanted to wear from when I had packed it back in January!  It was a gorgeous Easter Sunday and I was happy to honor Mom by wearing something of hers.

This mint green wrap skirt was one of many wrap skirts in Mom's closet.  I had borrowed a couple of them when I was in some plays in High School and am glad to bring them back into my wardrobe.  This one was soft and comfy and I wore it with a white lace tank and silver sweater, which Mom had bought for me a while back.  I had to bring out my silver pumps that Mom liked too.

Both my Aunt's had mentioned they remembered her wearing the skirt, and I wished that I was able to.  It was perfect for Spring and Mom always loved Easter.  On top of going to Church, she loved having Good Friday off so that she could help Bobby and I color eggs.  Sometimes we'd get the fancy coloring sets with glitter or accessories, but it didn't matter to us, it was just time spent with Mom.  Since I could remember, we always went to the Egg Hunt and that tradition continued long after Bobby and I were no longer young enough to participate.  She took all my younger cousins and their kids too.  Mom was so excited to help the kids find eggs and see their faces that she would hide the eggs again just to have them discover them!

I know this Easter, Mom was up in Heaven taking all the little children, who were taken far too soon, just as she was, on their very own Egg Hunt.  I can only imagine the look on their faces as this sweet woman helped them along and smiled back.  I know she's shining down on all of us <3

Jamie's Birthday Celebration

In April, my seester, Jamie celebrated her Birthday at Gabe's for Karaoke!  I made Dinner for her a couple nights earlier and we were able to hang out while I baked her Birthday cupcakes that I was bringing to Gabe's and gave her, her gift.  We also got some tears in while watching 'Moulin Rouge,' because the night needed that too!

Alan & Jamie at Karaoke!

Pat Benatar - 'Heartbreaker'

Toto - 'Hold The Line'

Bon Jovi - 'It's My Life

Journey - 'Separate Ways'

Tracy Chapman - 'Give Me One Reason'
"Les Miserables" - 'I Dreamed A Dream'
Melissa Etheridge - 'I'm The Only One

We kicked off the Birthday night with some rock & roll.  My new song was Bon Jovi's 'It's My Life' and I had a little help from Adam thankfully.  I'm actually far better at the harmony than the regular chorus since it's so high but it was really fun.  Adam and I already knew the song for "Project Mayhem" so that made things a little easier too.  Of course, there was rocking out with Journey, dancing, a "Les Miserables" super-set, and losing our voices by the end of the night.

The gorgeous Birthday Girl & my Seester!

Jamie had a bunch of friends come by for Karaoke night and they sang too so that was super fun!  We all toasted to her with plenty of cocktails and shots, sang lots of songs, had some themes, and sang 'Happy Birthday!' Overall, it was a fabulous celebration and hopefully we'll have some new Karaoke fans and regulars out of her awesome friends!

April Karaoke!

April was a really fun month of Karaoke!  I've been Hosting at Gabe's for five years so we celebrated my Anniversary in the second week.  It was really busy with lots of friends and regulars coming in to sing and join the celebration!  We also celebrated Jamie's Birthday the following week but I'm going to post a separate blog about that!  Let's hope this month of May is just as exciting :)

Tom Petty - 'Free Fallin'

La Roux - 'Bulletproof'

Dolly Parton - 'Jolene'

Whitesnake - 'Is This Love'

N'SYNC - 'This I Promise You'

Foo Fighters - 'Everlong'

Smashing Pumpkins - 'Stand Inside Your Love'

Garbage - 'Special'

Amy Winehouse - 'You Know I'm No Good'

Bon Jovi - 'Wanted Dead Or Alive'

No Doubt - 'Spiderwebs'

Prince - 'Little Red Corvette'

Allison Krauss - 'When you Say Nothing At All'

The Eagles - 'I Can't Tell You Why' 

The first week started late since the Kings game was on and it was fairly busy so I just sang a couple times.  I opened with my new song of the night, 'Free Fallin'' by Tom Petty.  He's a fun artist to sing so I decided to keep the energy going on my second song and then slow it down towards the end of the night.  It had been a while since I sang all my songs that week.  

Since we celebrated my Anniversary the second week I had a little Black & White Formal theme and suggested everyone sing Anniversary or Love songs.  'This I Promise You' by N'SYNC was a new song for me and from my very first relationship ever.  Always good memories!  The second song I did was 'Everlong' by the Foo Fighters and I raised the key which helped me out.  My girlfriend, Kristina, always promised me I'd get my 'Everlong,' and that someone one day would write a song just for me.  This song was played for me by a really good friend when I first met him years ago and I got my own song (actually a few) a couple years later.  That's where the final song of the night came in.  I saw the Smashing Pumpkins a few years ago and realized how beautiful their lyrics were and in my relationship at the time we talked about using 'Stand Inside Your Love' as our future Wedding song.  It's beautiful and was also a new song of the night for me.  Overall, the Anniversary Party was a blast!  Thanks to Adam for the flowers and to all my friends for coming out and making the night so special <3

Jamie, Adam, Marty, and I on my Five Year Anniversary of Hosting Karaoke at Gabe's!

This last week in April was super slow so Nick, Jamie, and I sang quite a bit.  I added a bunch of songs to my history and since we wanted to honor Prince we all sang a song by him.  My Mom's favorite Prince song is 'Little Red Corvette' so I decided to sing that for my new song.  Let's just say, either my Mom didn't really know the lyrics or if she did, she didn't admit it, because they're pretty wild.  I was almost a little shy singing them!  I decided to sing Alison Krauss later in the night doing 'When You Say Nothing At All,' and got a little teary-eyed.  I sang that at my High School Cabaret one year and saw my Mom crying in the audience and got choked up singing it in the Cabaret and still feel that way every time I sing it.  Even though it was a slow night it was nice to catch up with friends and have everyone trying some new music.

It was a really great month of Karaoke with lots of new music.  I'll be back in Wisconsin for a week but this month should bring some new people and fun as well!